Trump shares intent to reopen Alcatraz as a federal prison in social media post
President Donald Trump says he is directing his government to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the notorious former prison on a hard-to-reach California island off San Francisco that has been closed for more than 60 years.
In Sunday evening, Trump wrote that, 鈥淔or too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering. When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm. That鈥檚 the way it鈥檚 supposed to be.鈥�
鈥淭hat is why, today," he said, 鈥淚 am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America鈥檚 most ruthless and violent Offenders.鈥�
Alcatraz operated as a federal prison from 1934 to 1963.
Trump鈥檚 directive to rebuild and reopen the long-shuttered penitentiary was the latest salvo in his effort to overhaul how and where federal prisoners and immigration detainees are locked up. But such a move would likely be an expensive and challenging proposition. The prison was closed in 1963 due to crumbling infrastructure and the high costs of repairing and supplying the island facility, because everything from fuel to food had to be brought by boat.
Video below: Trump on calling for Alcatraz to reopen
Bringing the facility up to modern-day standards would require massive investments at a time when the Bureau of Prisons has been shuttering prisons for similar infrastructure issues.
The prison 鈥� infamously inescapable due to the strong ocean currents and cold Pacific waters that surround it 鈥� was known as 鈥淭he Rock" and housed some of the nation's most notorious criminals, including gangster Al Capone and George 鈥淢achine Gun鈥� Kelly.
It has long been part of the cultural imagination and has been the subject of numerous movies, including 鈥淭he Rock鈥� starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage.
Still, in the 29 years it was open, 36 men attempted 14 separate escapes, according to the FBI. Nearly all were caught or didn鈥檛 survive the attempt.
The fate of three particular inmates 鈥� John Anglin, his brother Clarence and Frank Morris 鈥� is of some debate and was dramatized in the 1979 film 鈥淓scape from Alcatraz鈥� starring Clint Eastwood.
Alcatraz Island is now a major tourist site that is operated by the National Park Service and is a designated National Historic Landmark.
In 1969, a group of Native American activists called the Indians of All Tribes began occupying the land for 19 months in response to the U.S. government's termination policy and the plight of Native Americans. It was a historical point that the National Park Service describes as "a watershed moment in the movement for Native American civil rights."
In 1972, Alcatraz was included in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the island opened to the public in 1973, becoming one of the most popular National Park Service sites, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
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Trump said his intent would be to reopen a "substantially enlarged and rebuilt" Alcatraz. He said the reopening of the prison would serve as a symbol of law, order and justice.
Sister station KCRA reached out to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office for a statement.
"Looks like it鈥檚 distraction day again in Washington, D.C.," a spokesperson for the governor said.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat whose district includes the island, questioned the feasibility of reopening the prison after so many years. 鈥淚t is now a very popular national park and major tourist attraction. The President鈥檚 proposal is not a serious one,鈥� she wrote on X.
California state Sen. Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco, called the president's notion "absurd on its face."
"This major tourist attraction generates significant revenue for the federal government and supports many jobs," Wiener said in a statement. "If Trump is serious about doing this, it鈥檚 just one more step in his dismantling of democracy 鈥� a domestic gulag right in the middle of San Francisco Bay."